What if our lives were mapped out before birth? Does anyone have the power to change their destiny?
Ella hates London. She misses her old life in Spain and is struggling to get over her past—until she meets Zac. He’s always loved her but isn’t meant to be part of her story. Not this time. Not ever. Little does she know that his secret is the one thing that will tear them apart and force her to live in a world that no longer makes sense. A world full of danger, lies and magic.
The Path Keeper is a passionate tale of first loves, second chances and the invisible threads that bind us. Can love ever be stronger than fate?
The Path Keeper by NJ Simmonds Review
A Compelling Fantasy that Proves There are No Boundaries to True Love
Stunning debut novel, The Path Keeper by N.J. Simmonds delivers an emotional and complex storyline full of fantasy, unrequited love (at least to start with), re-incarnation and twisted love stories of souls re-connecting as they meet time and time again fighting to find eternal love.
Photo courtesy of Sophia Pienaar – @whats.bookin.good.lookin
Ella is the feisty heroine and we are introduced to her as she struggles to come to terms with her new London life where she lives with her Mother and new Father in law. Ella is smart-mouthed and sassy, and I love her constant use of Spanish profanities. This quote from the book brilliantly describes Ella;
“How could I forget the girl with a face of an angel and the mouth of a sailor?”.
One day, Ella meets a mysterious young man by the name of Zac at a bus stop not far from her home. This chance or as we find out later not so much by chance meeting sets up a rather turbulent and complicated love story. Zac becomes a kind of guardian angel for Ella as he constantly seems to appear in places at the right time to rescue her.
From their first meeting, Ella finds things vaguely familiar about Zac but she cannot seem to pin point ‘Why’? Zac, of course, knows a huge secret. He and Ella have history, even if she can not remember it, but he cannot share his secret with Ella. He also knows he should be keeping his distance from Ella but this time, for some reason, he can’t seem to walk away.
Slowly, bit by bit through flashbacks and snippets of information of their past lives, we start to piece together the puzzle of why Ella and Zac’s love is forbidden. We finally understand why it is so dangerous for Ella and Zac to be together. Will this tear them apart again, or will they choose to fight for their eternal love?
Photo courtesy of Luisa Salinas – @lostinthebookstore_
Simmonds is a skilful writer who knows exactly how to paint vivid picture’s in her often funny and entertaining prose. Many of the hilarious phrases she used to describe the characters had me laughing out loud as I could see the characters so clearly – it was like they were in the room with me. Her talented writing style doesn’t end there. She adeptly merges history with current day and fantasy with realism as she ultimately recounts a love story of two intertwined souls unknowingly searching for eternal love.
I must admit I was a little dubious about the book as the trilogy was not a genre I would usually read or enjoy. I thought it would be another Twilight style series. Boy was I wrong! I was engrossed in the book from the very first page. I related to the characters and the settings and with every turn of the page, I became even more captivated. I really think anyone who likes to read a bit of fantasy and romance would thoroughly enjoy the book.
There is, quite rightly, a warning at the front of the book. Strong language and adult scenes mean that this is not your average YA novel. With more mature content, it is certainly suited to a slightly older than ‘teen’ age group. But don’t let that put you off, the language and situations are perfectly placed in this well-written world.
There are so many reasons why you need to start reading The Path Keeper today. BUT be warned – once you do, book one will leave you wanting to read more! Then together, we can anxiously await the release of book two.
Note from The Editor:
Congratulations, you reached the last blog on THE PATH KEEPER blog tour and it’s release day!
First of all, a big congratulations to our two previous winners, Sophia Pinear and Luisa Salinas, who won the chance to have their #boosktagram images used within our review today (and showcased on our own instagram page).
But before you go, don’t forget to note the last letter to complete the treasure hunt answer to the following question:
“What does Zac get in the sequel SON OF SECRETS that’s very out of character?”
The exclusive prize includes:
– An Amethyst necklace inspired by Felicity’s necklace in the book
– Handmade feather bookmark
– Signed character photo
– Half an hour Skype call with the author (ideal for aspiring writers or bloggers).To enter go back to all the blogs on the tour (twitter handles/blog details for each can be found below), collect the letters, and send the answer to the above question to tpkcompetition@gmail.com. One winner will be picked at random on Friday 14 June. Open international.
For those of you who may not have twitter, you can find links to each of the blogs here:
Jennie Ly blog – A Bookish Beauty – Tea Party Princess – A Novel Idea – Charlotte Somewhere – The London Geek – Lotte Van Hemert – The Bibliophagist – Tales of Yesterday – Read by Jess – The Book Bratz – Books Nest – A Little But a Lot – What Vicky Read – Eliza and Books – Coffee Stars Books – The Love of a Bibliophile – Tale Out Loud – Literary Galaxy – Laila Woozer
Published by: BHC Press
ISBN: 978-194772-780-9
